T-Tapp for a Busy Season

Much has happened in my life since my last post. My first grandchild was born (welcome to little Henry Judah on November 14!) and due to some complications I immediately flew to California to help my daughter and her husband. I spent two weeks in California and got home the day after Thanksgiving. In the midst of the busy-ness of the holiday season, my daughter and son-in-law decided to move back to Oklahoma to be near family with their new little son. They are staying with us until they get on their feet and we are enjoying taking turns holding month-old Henry!

It's always a little disconcerting for me (and my family) when I am gone for a length of time. For me there is an adjustment period when returning home to my busy household. Even though my family keeps the house up while I'm gone, there are always things to catch up on and rearrange to my liking, not to mention the necessity of cuddling up the little ones, talking to the older ones, and spending time with my man. My family even decorated for Christmas while I was gone (a first!) but I needed to finish the project and tweak here and there. Adding three household members was a project in itself with cleaning and rearranging. Let's just say I've been unusually busy.

I admit it's been a struggle to keep up with workouts. Time is definitely an issue but let's face it--we usually make time to do what we want to do. So part of the struggle is mental as my list gets longer and longer and my mind is spinning with to-do's. But the reality is that when I skip too many workouts I start feeling rotten--sluggish, creaky, tired and flabby. What to do?

Short workouts to the rescue! Basic Workout Plus, MORE and TappCore are my go-to workouts for stressful busy seasons of life. The year I was losing weight I got in 4 short workouts a week and still lost inches through the holidays. Now that I'm in maintenance, three short workouts are enough. I'll take advantage of New Year's motivation to ramp it up a bit in January, but for now I am thankful for an efficient, effective workout that keeps me feeling and looking good in (literally) just minutes a week!

Those Fabulous Forums

From the very beginning of my weight/inch loss journey, I was active on the T-Tapp forums. At first I was the excited newbie, reporting every inch lost and every new change I noted. Then I was the question asker, as my knees got sore or I wondered about the nuance of a move. Meanwhile I did searches on topics, printing some for my notebook (see an older post about the notebook). Eventually I moved on to answer questions here and there or give a little *gulp* advice of my own. But the absolute benefit of the forum was the accountability and encouragement it offered.

I got to know other T-Tappers who understood exactly what I meant when I spoke "Tapplandia" language. You know, BWO+, PBS, back fat, third butt cheek--all those mysterious acronyms and body parts we didn't know we had. I really felt like they cared when I was discouraged and they were happy for me when I lost a size. I actually read a bit before my morning workout, to get motivated and *in the mood* for T-Tapp. The trick was to read a BIT, not get lost in posting and reading for hours (and then feel like it counted for a workout, lol)!

Someone once asked me how I had to time to stay on the forum all day. Excuse me? I pop in here and there throughout the day, but seldom have time to s-t-a-y on for a length of time. But now that a new chat feature will be enabled, ahh, the temptation!

The Power of Success Stories

This morning I watched "Meet the Team" on my trusty old Basic Workout Plus DVD. It brought tears to my eyes, just like it did the other 20 times I've watched it. Today I watched it for some motivation to work out, as I'm recovering from a virus and am struggling to find energy. It did the trick.

Before I ever did a T-Tapp workout, the success stories motivated and encouraged me. I pored over the book, looking at the photos and reading the stories. I lurked on the T-Tapp website, reading old 60-Day Challenge and Testimonial Tuesday stories.

I bought the "Lost 100 Pounds" issue of People magazine and studied the photos and stories. I was particularly fascinated by the changes in people's faces when they lost weight. Being of American Indian descent, extra weight made my face round so I hoped to find my cheekbones again (I did). I cut out those pages and stapled them together and re-read them occasionally as I lost weight.

The "real people" success stories gave me hope and helped me set goals. Carol Severson, another homeschooling mom. Michelle Barbuto, mom of 6 (have you seen the woman's abs in her latest photos???!!!). Even Lani Muelrath, already gorgeous fitness diva, whose thighs shrunk from athletic ballerina to slender graceful T-Tapper.

Never underestimate the power of envisioning YOUR success story by surrounding yourself with the success stories of others!

Fitness Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

I returned from the annual T-Tapp Retreat in the wee hours this morning. Wow. What a week. I think this was the best so far in my limited experience of 3 years. Packed full of exercise, information, heroine worship :-) and the best girlfriends in the world.

This event reiterated to me the fact that fitness comes in all shapes and sizes. T-Tappers look darn good whether they are a size 20 or a size 8. T-Tapp helps you look good no matter what your size. It reshapes and tones you DURING the journey, not just at the end, and that end can be when you choose. Nobody says you have to get to your skeletal setpoint to be *done*.

I had the fun of being a "measurer" for the weekend. Participant's measurements are taken when they arrive and then again on the last morning. Every single one of my Tappers lost (lots of) inches and believe me, I'm an experienced measurer! A svelte and toned Trainer lost over 21" by the time the Trainer Retreat was over. I'll never forget one sweet and beautiful girl crying as I measured her on the last day. She had lost so many inches she couldn't believe it. I cried, too, as I witnessed the amazing effect of moving the body and seeing how the body responded.

Short Torso, Long Torso, Combo, tall, short--I think every age, size and demographic were represented and every single one looked great. What a retreat and what a workout!

T-Tapp Notebook(s)

I am a notebooking kind of girl. I kept notebooks before I knew they would become a homeschool method. Cindy Rushton calls herself the Notebooking Queen (love that girlfriend!), but I would have to qualify for at least a Notebooking Princess. So when I began finding out about T-Tapp I started a notebook. Just a 1 1/2" 3-ring binder, the kind with a clear cover to slip a cover sheet in.

First thing in the notebook: blank calendar pages to keep track of workouts, brushing and short notes about how I was doing ("sore knees" or "did the whole enchilada!"). Next thing: copies of the measurement chart in Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes. From the beginning I kept careful records of measurements and weight. But I didn't take a "before" photo until I had lost 2 sizes and a bunch of inches, so don't make that mistake. Even if you don't show anyone, TAKE A BEFORE PHOTO! Yes, it's a little embarrassing for people to see my befores, but it's not too bad because I don't look like that anymore!

Then I began to fill the notebook with form tips. You could do this in a file on your computer, but I'm also a book kind of girl and I like to re-read with a colored pencil to make notes or underline. I had a section for material from online classes I took from Trainers Lani and Michelle. I had a section just for encouraging posts on the forum, or things that motivated me.

Last, I had a section for goals. Most of my goals were related to an upcoming event, like a wedding or a college reunion. It helped me to have smaller time frames and an endpoint. I didn't always reach the goal by the event, but I did a short time later, and still checked it off. I still have my goals pages. I like to look back on them with the satisfaction of a job well done.

The good thing about keeping records of both workouts done (not planned, DONE) and measurements is that I could see a correlation. We tend to think we're working out more than we actually are sometimes. Or somehow it seems that time spent posting on the forum with all of our T-Tappin' friends ought to count for a workout, ha! At any rate, times of slowed inch loss led to an investigation and voilà, no wonder, I only did BWO+ twice a week for a couple of weeks, duh.

The notebook "just growed" and eventually expanded into several notebooks, most of which I still refer to. T-Tapp was very important to me and it deserved some organization and documentation in my life to keep me on track. You might not be a "learner" type like me, but even a slim folder with calendars, measurements and goals will help. Sometimes our progress is nearly undetectable until we look at the numbers (or the photos--ask any 60-Day Challenge participant who was surprised at their comparison photos), and with a notebook you'll have the hard evidence.

Losing Weight and T-Tapp

I can hardly over-emphasize the importance of T-Tapp in my weight loss. I actually did NOT start out to lose over 100 pounds and reach a size 6 (and yes, I have more than one size 4 in my closet). I started out to feel better and lose a couple of sizes to look better.

From the very beginning I was active in the T-Tapp online forum community. I say community because it is truly a great place to receive encouragement, information and accountability. I started a T-Tapp notebook (hmm, an idea for a blog post) and kept careful records of my measurements, weight and workout schedule. I'm a true Combo so I had to lose about 18" or so to lose a size, so no "2 sizes in a month" for me. My records kept me motivated even when I got stuck in a size 18 for three months. I was still slowly losing inches so I knew I was making progress. If I had been relying on how I felt or my clothes I probably would have given up in despair.

Plain and simple, T-Tapp reshaped my figure and helped me look good AS I lost the weight and that in itself was motivating. I remember how exciting it was to have a waist again. I remember the day my thighs didn't rub together any more. You can do a search under my forum name "fruitvine" and read those 2007-2008 posts and follow that journey, since I'm a real person. Someone I know said if they hadn't seen it happen before their very eyes they would have thought my photos were digitally edited and my story was "yeah, right."

T-Tapp reset my metabolism, gave me energy, resolved my blood sugar and sinus and knee issues, and made me strong and flexible. Oh, and did I mention that my hips are smaller than before I had 12 babies?! You don't get that kind of results from weight loss alone. Teresa Tapp said "IMO, too many people put more focus on food and supplements instead of moving their bodies," and I have to agree. I know that without T-Tapp and its skin brushing, my body would look very different after massive weight loss.

T-Tapp has also been the major factor in weight and inch maintenance. I recently had the experience of a medical restriction on exercise for a month. I gained a few pounds and inches (and my eating didn't change). I felt sluggish and creaky and emotional, as I am in the throes of menopause. But after about 2 weeks of *consistent* movement (MORE, OIP, and other moves here and there), the inches and pounds are coming off.

Okay, end of commercial. Actually, when I start counting the benefits and effects of T-Tapp in my life I sound like an infomercial! But I don't have to make it up--I lived it.

Random Thoughts on Eating

Okay, I've put off this post as long as I can. I just feel so darn unqualified to write about diets or food or nutrition. My only qualification is that I've lost more than 100 pounds and kept it off for over a year now, so keep that in mind. I can only share what worked (and continues to work) for me. So here are my random thoughts--not a plan, not a *way of eating*, certainly not a magic forumla.

--There's no way I could stick to a restrictive food plan for very long because I have to feed a family of nine every day and more on weekends.

--I couldn't stick to a restrictive food plan for the rest of my life because sooner or later I would throw off the shackles and go hog-wild and EAT whatever it was I wasn't supposed to have.

--If you tell me I can't have it, I want it.

--If you tell me I can have it, I might or might not want it.

--I eat only when I am truly hungry, and stop when I am full. Politely full, not stuffed to the gills.

--Food is always available. If I'm hungry again, I'll just eat again. I don't have to be afraid.

--Food is not my friend. The only *need* it meets is true hunger. Not emotional needs, spiritual needs or social needs.

I remember feeling so shocked when I first realized how often I was eating because the food was good or it was my favorite or it was there or I was lonely or I wanted to pamper myself, etc., etc., etc. I once told my husband during the years of babies and toddlers (uh, 25+ years) that "eating is the only fun thing I do." That makes me sad now. But at the time I truly did not realize what I was doing.

It amazes me how complicated the diet world is. Everyone is looking for the miracle, the pill, the plan. I lost all my weight eating pizza, hamburgers, french fries and ice cream. And of course, apples, natural peanut butter, cheese and almonds. Just food. Sort of The Casual Approach to God Made/Man Made eating, now that I look back on it. I would go a couple of days and eat God-made food because that is what sounded good, then stop by Braum's for a peanut butter hot fudge sundae. And eat the peanut butter and hot fudge and whipped cream and cherry first, because I never knew when I would get full and stop eating.

Okay, so that's a start on the random thoughts. More random-ness to follow.